Potentially very disappointed

wmaurer · 11-19-2007, 10:00 AM

I really love my Cybook, but to be honest "it's not about the device". I bought the Cybook in order to read electronic content, which the range of I have found to be much less extensive than I'd like. At the moment, I only seem to be able to find 30% of the books I want in MobiPocket format (take this year's Booker prize shortlist as an example).

I was fooled that Amazon's purchase of Mobipocket would soon fix that problem, and now I see that Amazon's "Kindle Editions" will only work with Kindle devices. I feel like I've just thrown away £245 on a great device with substandard content, when I should have bought an ugly device with much better content coverage.

Anybody got any consoling words or can you give me hope for my e-reading future on the Cybook?

-Wayne

tribble · 11-19-2007, 10:06 AM

Well, i was hoping for more content via mobipocket aswell, but Amazon decided to lock in their customers. I personally do not like this decision and for any not US citizen, the choices are limited anyway. So i am counting on authors an publishers to see the opportunities and offer mor electronic content once they see how well amazon is doing with the kindle

wallcraft · 11-19-2007, 10:08 AM

You can probably sell your Cybook for a good price.

However, if Amazon has ~90K .AZW titles how much effort would it be for the publishers to also produce .MOBI versions? So this might lead to more .mobi titles over time. We probably need a letter writing campaign: dear publisher I see that XXX is available as .AMZ why not .MOBI?

IreneDelse · 11-19-2007, 10:14 AM

I'd say the same: it's up to publishers and authors to make their books available for non-Kindle buyers. If only because the Kindle is available to USA residents only...

Happily, there are publishers and authors out there who don't rely only on Amazon and are already publishing .prc and .mobi ebooks. See the Fictionwise or Cyberread catalogs, for instance...

Edit: Not to mention Mobipocket ebook store itself, of course !

HarryT · 11-19-2007, 10:16 AM

Not to mention the 10s of thousands of out of copyright books that are available.

There's more than a lifetime's worth of reading available in eBook format for anybody, I'd have thought. The fact that you own an eBook reader doesn't prevent you from reading the occasional paper book still, after all.

IreneDelse · 11-19-2007, 11:15 AM

Harry is right. Since I've bought the Cybook, I've spent hours browsing the free ebooks catalogs, in wonder at the many titles available, to discover or re-discover ad lib... Just have a look at Feedbooks, for instance. The books labelled as formatted for Sony PRS-500 work fine on Cybook, because it's the same screen size. See also the Free ebooks section of Mobipocket, for classical books in PRC format...

And thanks to libraries who scan and digitize their out-of-print books, you can find a lot of material that hasn't been available commercially for decades. My father, who loves ancient literature, got very interested about ebooks when he learned that a 16th Century translation of Plutarch was available as a digital text, courtesy of the University of Ontario, but was out of print since more than 100 years!

And then, of course, if you like to read SF, there's a growing number of authors who follow the Cory Doctorow path and offer their ebooks for free under Creative Commons licenses. In addition to Cory, you have Charles Stross, whose novel Accelerando was packaged with the first Cybooks, then there's Rudy Rucker, Peter Watts, James Patrick Kelly, and more... Just now, Joshua Klein added himself to the list!

Don't forget also Baen Books, for lots of science-fiction, fantasy and alternate history novels sold without DRMs. As Baen/NAEB partnered with Bookeen to develop their own brand of ebook reader, I guess they don't have any intention to tye themselves up with Amazon...

AnemicOak · 11-19-2007, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmaurer

At the moment, I only seem to be able to find 30% of the books I want in MobiPocket format (take this year's Booker prize shortlist as an example).

I took a look at the shortlist you mentioned. Of the 6 books on it I find 4 available in Mobi format & a 5th coming out 2/12/08. The only one I can't find is 'Darkmans' & that isn't even out in paper until next week.

I'm hopeful for the ebook market. Each week I see more & more back catalog stuff being released as well as more new releases. It's got a long way to go, but I'm hopeful.

wmaurer · 11-19-2007, 11:54 AM

Thanks for the replies. Yes I know there are plenty more books that I could read on my Cybook than I could feasibly read in my life. I appreciate that the classics are freely available, and the time that people put in to converting them to nice mobi formats.

Regarding the classics, maybe I need to open my mind and become more culturally aware, because for some reason I get more reading pleasure from Rushdie than Chekhov, McEwan than Brontë, Ishiguro than Scott. And I haven't really got into science/fantasy fiction since enjoying The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant when I was about 15.

Thanks for tip on the PRS-500 PDF books; I'd not looked at those.

What I find frustrating is when I see the book I want to read (from recommendation or review) but am unable to do get it for the Cybook because it's not available electronically yet. But what I find more frustrating is when I see a book I want that is available electronically but in the wrong format. It's a "so close but so far" situation.

AnemicOak, thanks, when I'd looked about 2 months ago, only 2 were available. Maybe the e-book releases are being tied to the paperback releases (or afterwards)?

Anyways, I'm calming down now. It was just an initial shock after having such great expectations of the Kindle Store, and then being let down badly.

-Wayne

Gibbo · 11-19-2007, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IreneDelse

Happily, there are publishers and authors out there who don't rely only on Amazon and are already publishing .prc and .mobi ebooks. See the Fictionwise or Cyberread catalogs, for instance...

My main supplier is Fictionwise and Mobipocket and comparing prices with Cyberread I found this ebook 3700 by Stephen Turner for $15 at Cyberread and at Mobi for $7

I'm sticking with mobi.

ashalan · 11-19-2007, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallcraft

However, if Amazon has ~90K .AZW titles how much effort would it be for the publishers to also produce .MOBI versions?

Who says that it is the publishers that produce the AZW Versions of the titles? That is, and I have been wondering about this for a while, couldn't it be that it actually is Amazon creating them?

HarryT · 11-19-2007, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashalan

Who says that it is the publishers that produce the AZW Versions of the titles? That is, and I have been wondering about this for a while, couldn't it be that it actually is Amazon creating them?

It's the publishers who produce the eBooks with all other formats, so it's a reasonable assumption to make. Amazon are just a "store front", not a publisher.

HarryT · 11-19-2007, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmaurer

Anyways, I'm calming down now. It was just an initial shock after having such great expectations of the Kindle Store, and then being let down badly.

-Wayne

Wayne,

Don't forget that the Kindle's AZW files are MobiPocket files. Given that all these new books will be appearing in Mobi format it's a pretty reasonable assumption that we'll see them appearing on the other MobiPocket stores too.

delphidb96 · 11-19-2007, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Wayne,

Don't forget that the Kindle's AZW files are MobiPocket files. Given that all these new books will be appearing in Mobi format it's a pretty reasonable assumption that we'll see them appearing on the other MobiPocket stores too.

Guys,

You're all missing one *CRITICAL* point. The .AZW files are *ONLY* available for purchase by those people who have bought and *REGISTERED* an Amazon Kindle!!! And you have to download the .AZW ebooks through Amazon's Whispernet-which means you have to download it directly into the Kindle via their proprietary cell-phone network!

That creates two problems. First, getting the .AZW ebooks out of the Kindle and into the PC. Second, as this is a US-only phone network, getting those same ebooks overseas.

Yep. The Amazon Kindle is a solution seeking both a problem *AND* a customer base.

And did you all notice the price per book?

Derek

JSWolf · 11-19-2007, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Guys,

You're all missing one *CRITICAL* point. The .AZW files are *ONLY* available for purchase by those people who have bought and *REGISTERED* an Amazon Kindle!!! And you have to download the .AZW ebooks through Amazon's Whispernet-which means you have to download it directly into the Kindle via their proprietary cell-phone network!

That creates two problems. First, getting the .AZW ebooks out of the Kindle and into the PC. Second, as this is a US-only phone network, getting those same ebooks overseas.

Yep. The Amazon Kindle is a solution seeking both a problem *AND* a customer base.

And did you all notice the price per book?

Derek

I hate to say this, but I will anyway, NAEB and Sony are in deep shit now.

The price of books and delivery method for the Kindle is going to be a winner. Plus the selection. Face it, Amazon has one the war in less then one day.

IreneDelse · 11-19-2007, 01:53 PM

Won the war? In the USA, maybe. In the rest of the world? Not until they release their thing outside of the USA, no. And with another wireless connection than the EVDO...

11-19-2007, 10:00 AM	#1
wmaurer Enthusiast Posts: 44 Karma: 100 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: Nook Simple Touch, HTC Desire	Potentially very disappointed I really love my Cybook, but to be honest "it's not about the device". I bought the Cybook in order to read electronic content, which the range of I have found to be much less extensive than I'd like. At the moment, I only seem to be able to find 30% of the books I want in MobiPocket format (take this year's Booker prize shortlist as an example). I was fooled that Amazon's purchase of Mobipocket would soon fix that problem, and now I see that Amazon's "Kindle Editions" will only work with Kindle devices. I feel like I've just thrown away £245 on a great device with substandard content, when I should have bought an ugly device with much better content coverage. Anybody got any consoling words or can you give me hope for my e-reading future on the Cybook? -Wayne

11-19-2007, 11:54 AM	#8
wmaurer Enthusiast Posts: 44 Karma: 100 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: Nook Simple Touch, HTC Desire	Thanks for the replies. Yes I know there are plenty more books that I could read on my Cybook than I could feasibly read in my life. I appreciate that the classics are freely available, and the time that people put in to converting them to nice mobi formats. Regarding the classics, maybe I need to open my mind and become more culturally aware, because for some reason I get more reading pleasure from Rushdie than Chekhov, McEwan than Brontë, Ishiguro than Scott. And I haven't really got into science/fantasy fiction since enjoying The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant when I was about 15. Thanks for tip on the PRS-500 PDF books; I'd not looked at those. What I find frustrating is when I see the book I want to read (from recommendation or review) but am unable to do get it for the Cybook because it's not available electronically yet. But what I find more frustrating is when I see a book I want that is available electronically but in the wrong format. It's a "so close but so far" situation. AnemicOak, thanks, when I'd looked about 2 months ago, only 2 were available. Maybe the e-book releases are being tied to the paperback releases (or afterwards)? Anyways, I'm calming down now. It was just an initial shock after having such great expectations of the Kindle Store, and then being let down badly. -Wayne Last edited by wmaurer; 11-19-2007 at 12:03 PM.

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11-19-2007, 10:06 AM	#2
tribble iLiad Maniac Posts: 1,382 Karma: 2369 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Germany Device: Bookeen Opus (i love that thing) and iPad (what an irony)	Well, i was hoping for more content via mobipocket aswell, but Amazon decided to lock in their customers. I personally do not like this decision and for any not US citizen, the choices are limited anyway. So i am counting on authors an publishers to see the opportunities and offer mor electronic content once they see how well amazon is doing with the kindle

11-19-2007, 10:08 AM	#3
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	You can probably sell your Cybook for a good price. However, if Amazon has ~90K .AZW titles how much effort would it be for the publishers to also produce .MOBI versions? So this might lead to more .mobi titles over time. We probably need a letter writing campaign: dear publisher I see that XXX is available as .AMZ why not .MOBI?

11-19-2007, 10:14 AM	#4
IreneDelse Groupie Posts: 154 Karma: 589 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Paris Device: Bookeen Cybook Gen3 & Opus	I'd say the same: it's up to publishers and authors to make their books available for non-Kindle buyers. If only because the Kindle is available to USA residents only... Happily, there are publishers and authors out there who don't rely only on Amazon and are already publishing .prc and .mobi ebooks. See the Fictionwise or Cyberread catalogs, for instance... Edit: Not to mention Mobipocket ebook store itself, of course !

11-19-2007, 10:16 AM	#5
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Not to mention the 10s of thousands of out of copyright books that are available. There's more than a lifetime's worth of reading available in eBook format for anybody, I'd have thought. The fact that you own an eBook reader doesn't prevent you from reading the occasional paper book still, after all.

11-19-2007, 11:15 AM	#6
IreneDelse Groupie Posts: 154 Karma: 589 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Paris Device: Bookeen Cybook Gen3 & Opus	Harry is right. Since I've bought the Cybook, I've spent hours browsing the free ebooks catalogs, in wonder at the many titles available, to discover or re-discover ad lib... Just have a look at Feedbooks, for instance. The books labelled as formatted for Sony PRS-500 work fine on Cybook, because it's the same screen size. See also the Free ebooks section of Mobipocket, for classical books in PRC format... And thanks to libraries who scan and digitize their out-of-print books, you can find a lot of material that hasn't been available commercially for decades. My father, who loves ancient literature, got very interested about ebooks when he learned that a 16th Century translation of Plutarch was available as a digital text, courtesy of the University of Ontario, but was out of print since more than 100 years! And then, of course, if you like to read SF, there's a growing number of authors who follow the Cory Doctorow path and offer their ebooks for free under Creative Commons licenses. In addition to Cory, you have Charles Stross, whose novel Accelerando was packaged with the first Cybooks, then there's Rudy Rucker, Peter Watts, James Patrick Kelly, and more... Just now, Joshua Klein added himself to the list! Don't forget also Baen Books, for lots of science-fiction, fantasy and alternate history novels sold without DRMs. As Baen/NAEB partnered with Bookeen to develop their own brand of ebook reader, I guess they don't have any intention to tye themselves up with Amazon...

11-19-2007, 01:53 PM	#15
IreneDelse Groupie Posts: 154 Karma: 589 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Paris Device: Bookeen Cybook Gen3 & Opus	Won the war? In the USA, maybe. In the rest of the world? Not until they release their thing outside of the USA, no. And with another wireless connection than the EVDO...

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